Under the good-humoured and crafty direction of McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol), who loads the crackling script and Bond-ish plot with visual eye candy (the scenery and the cast), the cast sizzles and is pumped with adrenaline and enthusiasm. On the bromance front, Chris Klein and Tom Hardy are delicious as two agents who carry on like a couple who have been married forever and now compete for the same girl; with tough and hard-headed Reese Witherspoon and rough-and raw Chelsea Handler as the buddies who scrutinise the opposite sex.
Hardy is fantastic as the brutish but gentle Brit, Klein is superb as the charismatic womaniser and arrogant he-man, and Witherspoon sparkles as the fair and dazzling maiden. An interesting aspect of the film, and one that adds to the amusement of fans, is the witty intertextuality: when Klein is asked about his job description by a female admirer, he says that he is "captain of a spaceship!" (remember Klein in Star Trek?).
There's also the cheesy visual footage of films like Titanic to add further laughs to the emotional subtext and contribute to the overall stylistic nature of the film and its vivacious characters. Within its genres the film succeeds marvellously: the comedy timing and rhythm are impeccable and naughty; the romance is playful and titillating; the actions and chase sequences are inventive and spectacular. It's a smart film for anyone looking for first-rate entertainment, a good laugh, sexy fun and wicked escapism.
Rating 4/5
